Five Years Later
Five years of war have not been kind to the world, and much has changed in their passing. __TOC__ =History= The Invasion Regarded as the end of an era, the Invasion was launched on a planet wide scale targeting every major city on Cyona. It was also universally repelled as the secret legends hidden beneath the mundane rose up to face the challenge. In those places where Karrghan held sway, armies prepared to conquer the world were instead turned to its defense, rallying the people to them as they never could have with force. The Corpse Baron's legions and magics were only swelled by the death toll, each victim only extending his reach over a broken world. Koth and his children, woken from their ageless freezing slumber by the attack, saw the aliens as but another variety of food. Whatever form resistance took, whether the invaders were turned back in weeks or months, by the time they were driven away there was not a soul on Cyona still steeped in blissful ignorance of the men and monsters hidden in plain sight. The masquerade had ended. War With the outside threat defeated, the world turned upon itself. Whether willing or forced, nearly every power in the world found itself folded into one of those on the rise. Even as vast as their freshly gained territories were, none could tolerate the others, for all sought power over all. The initial conflict was perhaps bloodier than the one against the invaders as the parties, each certain of their imminent victory, threw itself against the others. But each was matched against the others. Karrghan's technology and coordination, the Baron's hordes and magic, the forces marshaled under the banners of the Free Peoples, even the unfathomable power of the Ageless Cold were worth nothing for all they could do against the others. The Lines Drawn Each power eventually realized the futility of open warfare and the impossibility of immediate victory, instead choosing to hold what they had and striking only where victory was assured. While by no means a peace, those away from the front lines have been able to rebuild even as borders shift daily, the careful balance of power maintained despite every effort. But every passing day only increases the desperation of those involved as stockpiles grow and weapons are refined. Now more than ever, Cyona is a powder keg waiting to blow. =Factions= Karrghan Considered the kindest of the world's new masters, Karrghan gained acceptance and admiration on the day of the invasion as it simultaneously revealed itself and declared itself Cyona's protector and benefactor. While the territories it controls are rife with rebel groups tacitly supported by other factions, it's extensive information networks and internal policing make it particularly resilient to uprisings. Offers heavy incentive to any citizen willing to undergo the Blood Binding procedure which simultaneously enhances their capabilities and ties them to its cause. Free Peoples A loose conglomeration of states dedicated to mortal independence. Led by the Republic of Rudlec, old enmities have, at the very least, been put on hold in the face of global conquest on multiple fronts. Continues to baffle its opponents by resisting despite all odds, primarily thanks to it's near complete focus on defense and the tapping of unique talents amongst the citizenry. The Baronies Those who survive in these lands are not the living, only the waiting. Whether they are found lacking, treasonous, loathsome, or merely, inevitably, betrayed by their own bodies, all eventually join the Corpse Baron's undying legion. Despite appearances, the Baron neither abhors the living nor adores the dead, only holding anything like love for himself. In his world, the living create the dead, and the dead serve for all time. Blighted Lands Not a faction as such, the myriad gods of old hold as much disdain for each other as they do towards the rest of the world, and what mortal worshipers survive there follow in their footsteps. Dark and twisted, these lands are far from lifeless. But what grows there is welcome nowhere else. Chronos Cyona Before the invasion even began the Chronovore realized their own attempt at conquest was ill informed, but only in their targets. Mortals had a startling capacity to resist and lives so short as to be nothing to those ageless appetites, but those immortals bound to the world, while relatively few, are near endless wells of time. A neutral territory protected by force and treaties for the incarceration of prisoners of war, many mortals from all sides and none have sought refuge there. Etinur Deeps Whether the dwarf lords of old still rule there or have been supplanted by others is impossible to know, as the kingdom has been sealed for years. None enter and none leave. Phoenix Territory The site of the reincarnation of an ancient god of magic, this territory represents a sphere of power where the reborn Saulemene holds absolute control.